


The Siren and the Insomniac

by starrynightfantasies



Category: Loki - Fandom, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Falling In Love, Insomniac, Siren
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-16
Updated: 2016-06-02
Packaged: 2018-06-08 17:45:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 21,500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6866695
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starrynightfantasies/pseuds/starrynightfantasies





	1. Chapter 1

The dark one is at it again, Raidne thought morosely.  
She could hear him banging around his room all hours of the night.  
What on Earth could he possibly do in there?  
She had tried everything. She tried listening to soft music, pulling a pillow over her head, even burying her entire body under a pile of blankets. She could still hear him. And his nightly grumblings. 

Raidne had come to Stark Tower under S.H.I.E.L.D. protection not too long after Howard Stark had originally found the Tesseract. S.H.I.E.L.D. believed that she was in danger because of her abilities, but she was suspicious of their true intentions. After all, no one had known of her heritage until they showed up with their interrogators.  
Raidne’s mother, Peisinoe, had been a Siren. Legend has it she lured many sailors to their deaths until one man finally stole her heart. He had been a pirate, famous for raiding ships all along the Grecian coast. Peisinoe had only intended to steal his money, but he had been much stronger in spirit than she had anticipated. He listened to her songs, then sailed on, returning every few days just to hear her voice once more.  
Peisinoe became increasingly desperate to lure her pirate, even ignoring others who came her way, until one day, he finally relented. However, the predator in this case had become the prey, and that is the story of how Raidne came into existence.  
When her pirate sailed away for the last time, Peisinoe eventually died of a broken heart, leaving her half-Siren baby to fend for herself. Thankfully, baby Raidne had inherited her mother’s voice, because it wasn’t long before she was rescued by a team of American sailors who happened to be passing by. 

Raidne had finally gotten enough. It was 3 AM, and she still couldn’t sleep, all because of him. She flung her blankets away and marched down the hall, knocking hard on his door.  
“What in God’s name are you doing in there?”

Loki stalked to the door.  
Norns, why can’t everyone just leave me alone?  
He flung the door open, fully intending to eviscerate the offender on the other side. 

When he opened the door, Raidne was at a loss for words. She had only ever seen him fully clothed. Now he was standing in front of her wearing only a pair of silky black boxer shorts, and she was fairly certain her heart had stopped.  
Pale skin stretched across taut muscles. Broad shoulders. Long, lean legs. Bare feet.  
She sucked in a deep breath. And he shattered the moment. 

“WHAT DO YOU WANT, PEST?”

Raidne had been prepared to have a civil conversation about his nighttime adventures, but he had just ruined it.  
“What do you mean? It’s almost 4 in the morning! You’re in here muttering incantations or something! Could you be any more inconsiderate?! All the banging around! I haven’t slept in weeks, living right next door to you!”  
“Ehehehe… Ask your precious Tony Stark for some noise cancelling headphones. That’s the best I can offer.”  
He said this with such an air of dismissal that Raidne wanted to punch him in the throat. She was far too short to do that, though.  
“You know, when I first arrived, everyone was all upset because I ‘didn’t understand the value of proper clothing,’ so it really pisses me off that you can get away with this!”  
She bit her lip, knowing she shouldn’t have let that slip out.  
“Proper cl—oh… Well, I certainly wouldn’t have complained about that, so don’t you dare blame me for that. I wasn’t even here.”  
He shot her a lascivious glance that made her knees weak.  
I am getting nowhere fast. Time for a new tactic. 

“Fine. I will speak with Stark tomorrow. Maybe he’ll move me to another room.”  
“There are no other rooms, darling,” he said, still grinning.  
With that, she let out a frustrated snort, and stomped back to her room. 

Loki watched her walk to her room, then shut his door. As he lay on his bed trying to find sleep that he knew wouldn’t come, he couldn’t get the image of her out of his mind.


	2. Chapter 2

Loki lay in his bed in the dark casting illusions for himself in an attempt to wipe Raidne from his mind. Her sudden anger had struck a chord in him, winding his strings way too tightly for him to expect anything akin to sleep in the near future. 

He found it ironic that he had hardly noticed the female before tonight. She was attractive, yes, but Loki was far too distracted by his current imprisonment to care much about any kind of companionship. He had been here, right next door to her for months, but had not noticed her until she was at his door, screaming in his face. Evidently he had more psychological problems than he had previously realized. 

Unfortunately, his illusions were not providing the distraction they usually did, and he found himself once again thinking of her; her small, curvy body, her deep chocolate colored hair hanging down to her waist in luscious waves, her bright green eyes, and those pouty lips as she stood there yelling at him for all she was worth.   
Loki tossed and turned for the rest of the night, but tried not to make any more noise. After all, if she came back, he wouldn’t see sleep for the rest of the week. 

 

Raidne was pleasantly surprised when her nemesis next door had settled himself down. She had figured he would go back to his work, even louder now that he knew she was bothered. 

Perhaps he is kinder than I thought? Only time will tell.

Images of his lean, muscular body bombarded her mind as she drifted to sleep.

 

The next morning, Raidne was sitting at the table in the dining area eating breakfast with Steve, Natasha, Clint, and Tony when Loki ambled in looking like he had been dragged behind a horse for over a mile. She attempted to be nice, giving him a tiny smile, calling a truce, but Loki was having none of it. He glared down at her as if she were the epitome of everything wrong in his world. 

I guess this isn’t over yet…

None of the others even bothered looking in his direction, which served in making Raidne feel a sudden pang of sympathy for him. That feeling was short-lived, however, when she offered him some of the food she had prepared. 

“Loki, I made pancakes this morning. You’re welcome to some if you’re hungry. I made enough for a small army.”

He looked to the plate she held out and snorted. 

“Darling, I don’t think I have ever been that hungry.”

Raising his coffee mug, he left the kitchen, heading for the hallway. Raidne presumed he would spend the rest of the morning in his room alone. 

Steve bristled at his rude behavior, but Raidne shook her head subtly, letting him know there was no need. She knew, deep down, that Loki’s behavior had nothing to do with her, and probably had very little to do with her food. 

 

Loki retired to his own room, chastising himself for being so sharp with Raidne. It wasn’t that he didn’t want her pancakes. They smelled divine. He didn’t know why, but his every instinct was to push her away as hard as he possibly could. 

Gods, I can still smell those pancakes through the door.

Loki rolled his eyes and waited until he could no longer hear chatter coming from the kitchen. When he was certain the coast was clear, he padded out of his room, excited to see that there were still a few of those delicious pancakes left. Grabbing a plate, he loaded as many as he could onto it before quickly returning to his room, thankful he hadn’t been caught. 

Raidne had just finished taking a nice, hot shower, but she had forgotten to bring clothes with her. That was one of her biggest issues while living at the tower. Her Siren blood made her long to wear as little as possible at all times, so when she lived alone, that was exactly what she had done. Unfortunately, those habits had to be broken. She wrapped a towel around her as best she could, then opened the bathroom door just enough to check if anyone was out in the hallway. 

She was pleased when she saw Loki, sneaking down the hall with a plate of her pancakes in his hands. His eyes darted back and forth as if he were checking to make sure no one saw him. Raidne smiled to herself, glad to know he was going to eat after all. As soon as he closed the door, she tiptoed across the hall to her own room, wondering why he felt the need to hide. 

Steve had called a meeting with everyone to go over emergency protocols that day, so Raidne once again, found herself sitting across from Mr. Tall, Dark, and Sleepless. Her eyes were already drooping, and Steve had only been talking for ten minutes, so she tried to keep herself awake by moving as much as possible; fidgeting, shaking her foot, anything. 

Loki was desperately trying to actually pay attention to this meeting. He knew they would be practicing drills afterward, and he didn’t want to catch any grief from Stark or the Soldier. But if that little tart didn’t stop her jiggling he wasn’t going to learn anything here. After one final glance at her breasts, he shot her a warning look.

“Gods, please stop. You’re moving the whole blasted table.”

And he immediately felt badly for his harsh words. The blush on her cheeks was not one he wanted to see there again. He had humiliated her for the sake of his own comfort. 

“S-sorry. I’m just…sleepy.” 

Raidne was embarrassed, and she hated being embarrassed. She only allowed herself a few seconds before she sprang back to her usual self, even though she really wanted to hide under the table. If he hadn’t been so loud last night, she wouldn’t have to try so hard to keep herself awake! She vowed not to interact with Loki for the remainder of the day unless she absolutely had to. Her earlier feelings of sympathy for him had disappeared completely, and now she was ready for an all-out war. 

 

When training was over, Raidne was exhausted, so rather than raiding the kitchen for leftovers, she went straight to bed. She had hoped that if she retired early, she would sleep through Loki’s nightly rituals. 

Unfortunately, that was not the case. Around midnight, she was startled awake by a loud bang, followed by a series of expletives in a language she did not understand. She flung her robe on, stomped to his door, and banged on it as hard as she could.   
“Can’t you see that I’m busy, pest?”

There he stood, hair still wet from the shower, wearing nothing but a bathrobe. Raidne took a deep, steadying breath before launching into him. 

“Loki, you can’t keep doing this to me! I was sound asleep, and you scared me half to death! I need to sleep! And STOP CALLING ME ‘PEST’!”

She wheeled around and stomped back to her door. Before she closed her door, she heard him mutter; “Ehehehe…I like her.” 

And the noise continued. That’s when Raidne decided she had to formulate a plan.


	3. Chapter 3

Raidne barley slept at all that night because of Loki. He had finally left his room around 6, which left her with an hour of peace and quiet. She was slowly coming to the realization that Loki didn’t care if he was disturbing her. 

How did he live without sleep? And what on Earth was he doing in there?

Raidne made plans to speak with Stark as soon as possible. Maybe he could help her out. Although, Loki had said there were no more available rooms…

 

Loki stood in the shower, hot water running over him, wishing he could have had at least a few minutes of rest. He had not slept in days, and it had been weeks since he had slept an entire night.  
When he had been brought to the tower, he was stripped of most of his magic, and that had caused him more grief than anyone realized. He was not used to being without it. It was part of him. Without it, he was not certain of his place, his very identity. So he had spent the better part of his nights attempting to gain it back. Unfortunately, he was starting to think that was impossible. The only ability he still had was his illusions, and they were only visible to him. 

Now, not only was he obsessing over his lack of magical abilities, he was also getting grief from the girl next door for making too much noise. 

And if she comes over here in the middle of the night one more time...

Raidne stumbled into the kitchen to drown herself in coffee before they started their morning training session. When she saw Stark at the table, she decided there was no time better than the present. 

“Hey, Tony… Got a second?”

He looked her up and down, grinning. It made her skin crawl a little. 

“For you, I have all the seconds you need.”

“Okay, well, here’s the deal. It’s about Loki.”

Tony rolled his eyes. 

“What did he do this time?”

“No, no… It’s just…I don’t think he’s sleeping well. Well, I know he’s not. He’s making noise all night long, and I can’t get a minute of sleep myself. Is there any way I could switch rooms? I’m not trying to be a snitch. I don’t want to get him in trouble. I just…”

The last thing Raidne wanted was to have Stark jump all over Loki about this. It would only end up causing her more problems. 

“I’d love to help you out, but there are no more rooms left. With all of the team here keeping tabs on Reindeer Games, we’re full up. I can offer you some earplugs, or some noise cancelling headphones. You could sleep in my bed, but Pepper would probably be mad.”

Raidne was fairly used to men throwing themselves at her, but Tony seemed to be starving for attention. He came on to every female within a 50 mile radius. 

“I guess I’ll give the headphones a try. It’s funny…Loki told me to ask you for some.”

“Wait, you’ve talked to him?”

“Well, yeah. I mean, he wasn’t pleasant, but I asked him to keep it down. Tony, please don’t say anything to him. It will only make matters worse.”

“I won’t. I just… he won’t answer when anyone else talks to him. He literally turns and walks away. Weird.”

Raidne walked away pondering Tony’s comments. Did Loki really not talk to anyone here? No wonder he couldn’t sleep. He must be so lonely.

Training that afternoon dragged on longer than Loki expected, and he was already exhausted before they had even begun. When it was finally over, he avoided as many people as he could and went to bathe himself again before retiring to the sweet solitude he craved inside his room. 

When Raidne walked through the hall, she heard the shower running, so she assumed Loki had beat her to it. So she decided to try out Tony’s headphones. She plugged them into her iPod, set her playlist, and before she knew it, she was singing along with the songs.  
She didn’t usually sing aloud, due to the overwhelming effect it had on men. Typically, they were drawn to her like moths to a flame. However, she didn’t see any danger since Loki was the only other person within earshot, and he was a god. He shouldn't be affected by her ability. Plus, there was the fact that he did not seem to have any interest in her whatsoever. He had proven that on multiple occasions. 

When Loki emerged from the shower, he felt somewhat refreshed. He slipped his robe on and walked into the hall, but as soon as he did, he felt drawn not to his own room, but to Raidne’s. 

Gods, what is wrong with me?

It was as if his feet were moving toward her door without his permission, but his mind was not rejecting the idea as much as he would have liked. As he moved closer, he could hear her voice. She was singing… it was the most enchanting sound he had ever heard. His body continued to move toward the door, even as he silently protested. However, the more he listened to her, the smaller his inner protests became, and eventually he simply surrendered.  
He leaned his head against her door, pressing his ear to it, not attempting to go inside, but instead just hoping she never stopped singing. 

Raidne was startled by a loud banging at her door. She removed her headphones, and went to answer, hoping it wasn’t Loki seeking revenge for something Tony might have said to him. She really hoped Tony wouldn’t say anything about their earlier conversation. 

“Uh, Raidne, you seem to have a visitor…” Tony was standing at her door pointing down to an unconscious Loki, who was slumped over next to him wearing nothing but a bathrobe. 

“Woah! What happened to him?!” 

“You tell me. I was just dropping by to bring you these.” 

He held out a pair of earplugs. 

“In case the headphones don’t do the trick.”

Raidne was still staring at Loki. She knew he hadn’t been sleeping at night, and she felt so bad for him, even if he was the reason she was so tired.   
He was curled into a fetal position, his hair falling around his shoulders. His eyelids fluttered, accentuating his long, black eyelashes. One hand was tucked under his head like a makeshift pillow, and the other was tucked into his chest.   
“He looks so…peaceful. What are we going to do with him?”

Tony laughed. 

“Yeah, he looks peaceful now. He’s unconscious. Leave him there. He’s fine.”

“Tony! We can’t just leave him in the hall!”

“Well I’m not dragging his Asgardian ass all the way down the hall to his room. Forget it.”

Raidne sighed.

“Alright, then. Just bring him in here. When he wakes up, I’ll deal with the fallout.”


	4. Chapter 4

Raidne watched as Tony dragged Loki’s limp form into her room, grunting through the entire process. When the god’s robe slipped, she tried her best not to peek, but she decided her willpower was not that strong. She was still staring when Tony stopped pulling and turned to look at her. 

“Jeez, there’s a mental image that will last a lifetime.” 

Raidne met his eyes with the look of a child who had been caught with her hand in the cookie jar. 

“You were looking! You were checking out Loki’s package! Ha ha ha!”

“Oh, shut up, will you? How could I not? It was right there.”  
Raidne felt her face flame, and she wanted to burrow into the Earth. 

“No wonder he’s so damn heavy… You know, I think I’ll tell him you got a peek. Maybe he’ll be a little nicer to you from now on.”

“NO! Tony! Please!”

Tony just ignored her and continued his musings.   
“I mean, he’s not as well endowed as some of us, but he’s got the goods.”

Raidne rolled her eyes dramatically. She highly doubted Tony had anything close to what she had just glimpsed on Loki. 

“Just get out. I’m done with you.”

“I’m hurt, Raidne. You let him stay.”

Raidne shoved him out the door, slammed it behind him, and yelled after him.  
“Yeah, well, he's not annoying the crap out of me!”

“He’s unconscious!” She heard him call from the hallway. 

Raidne snorted in frustration, locking the door so that no one else would disturb her. 

 

She turned her attention once more to Loki, who was still sleeping soundly on her bedroom floor. He looked so peaceful, yet so very uncomfortable. Raidne retrieved one of the pillows and a blanket from her own bed, gently tucked the pillow under his head, and covered his long body with the blanket. 

Sleep when they sleep. Isn't that what they tell new mothers? It applies in this situation as well. 

So, Raidne took the opportunity she had been given to curl up in her bed and sleep while Loki was snoozing away on her floor. Unfortunately, it was short-lived. 

 

Loki rolled to his side and felt his hip dig into the hard floor. Blinking his eyes, he looked around the room and realized he was on the floor. In someone else’s chambers. 

Where in Hel am I?

As he frantically looked around for something familiar, he noticed a pair of slippers lying close by. 

Raidnes's slippers. What am I doing in her chambers? On the floor...

He had slept so well, he almost did not want to get up, but curiosity overtook him. He rose to a standing position and immediately saw Raidne lying in her bed, blankets pulled up to her chin, fast asleep. He stood for a few moments just taking in the sight of her; her long hair flowing onto her pillow in messy waves, her rosy cheeks flushed in sleep. Then, he decided he had to get to the bottom of this particular situation.

“Raidne!”

She startled, jumping up to a sitting position. 

“Oh, shit, Loki! You scared me! Why are you yelling?”

“What on Earth was I doing asleep on your floor?”   
Loki sounded as if he was accusing her of wrongdoing, and perhaps he was. 

“You…you fell asleep in the hall. Tony found you out there. He knocked on my door, and he was going to just leave you there, but I told him to bring you inside... So you would have some privacy. He couldn’t have made it all the way to your room. I- I thought I was doing you a favor.”

Loki was angry, and Raidne did not know how to de-escalate the situation.   
“Why didn’t you wake me up? What have you done to me while I was asleep, girl?”

Raidne gave him a puzzled look.   
“What? Why would I do anything to you? I just gave you a pillow and blanket! I thought since you were finally asleep I could get some rest myself… and I didn’t want to wake you. I know you haven’t slept in quite some time, Loki. You’re a god, but you need rest too.”

Upon hearing Raidne’s explanation, Loki began to feel a bit more relaxed. She seemed sincere, and even though he had caused her a lot of grief, she still seemed to care about his wellbeing. 

“Alright. Well, I will leave you now. Goodnight.”

 

As Loki closed the door behind him, Raidne felt like she had whiplash from his sudden mood swings. First, he was angry at her, hurling accusations at her. Then, he was standing there with a bemused expression telling her goodnight as if they were old friends. She shook her head to clear it, then headed back to her bed, but as soon as she began to drift off, her noisy neighbor started his nocturnal rituals. 

Raidne put her headphones on, turning her Ipod volume up loud enough to cover the sound of Loki’s raucous mutterings. Soon, she was humming along, singing some of the lyrics in an attempt to lull herself to sleep. 

 

Loki felt so much better after sleeping all evening, he was ready to make another attempt at regaining his powers. Although he hadn’t needed a spell book in several hundred years, he decided to go back to basics, pulling one out of the closet and dusting it off. He made a few attempts at some very basic magic before losing his temper and throwing the book against the wall. He was sure Raidne would be over here to scream at him at any moment, so he listened intently for her footsteps in the hallway. 

He didn’t hear footsteps, but he did hear something else; something infinitely more soothing. Raidne was singing. 

That's why I fell asleep in the hall. That little witch!

Just as he had that thought, though, his body was already beginning to pull him in the direction of the sound. It was as if his feet were moving of their own volition. He fought it at first, just as he had before, but it was futile. Soon, his mind was relaxing into a comfortable daze, and he found himself trying to get as close to the sound of her voice as he possibly could; which meant he ended up lying in the floor of his closet because it shared a wall with her room. Inside, he could hear her voice as clearly as if he were inside her room. 

He didn’t particularly care for the song she sang, but the words did not matter. Her voice wrapped itself around his soul, comforting him in a way that nothing else had in a very long time. It was a sensation he had not felt since he was a small boy, curled up in his mother’s arms. This was different though; comforting, yet very sensual. Somewhere in the depths of his mind, he almost felt guilty for eavesdropping on her. It was almost as if he were watching her undress. 

Loki took several long, deep breaths, picturing her beautiful dark brown hair and bright green eyes, and he drifted into a peaceful dreamless sleep. 

 

Raidne eventually fell asleep with her headphones on. The next morning, she woke feeling better than she had in weeks. She would have to thank Tony for his generosity. She busied herself getting ready for the day ahead, happy that the dark circles under her eyes had dissipated, when suddenly, there was someone yelling at her through the door. 

“RAIDNE! OPEN THE DOOR THIS INSTANT!”

Loki.

What could he possibly be so angry about this morning?

She opened the door, and Loki charged inside, slamming the door behind him. He grasped her arms, and shook her hard enough to make her teeth rattle. 

“Loki! Let me go! What has gotten into you?”

He looked into her eyes, let out a deep sigh, and dropped his hands. 

“What did you do, Siren?” His voice was gruff, hostile. 

Raidne’s eyes widened as she shook her head from side to side. 

“I—I don’t know what you’re talking about, Loki. I didn’t do anything. Wait—How did you know what I am? Tony said no one knew. Only he and Fury...”

Loki took a step closer to her. They were now merely centimeters apart. 

“You were singing when I emerged from the shower last night. That explains my falling asleep in the hallway.”

He glared down at her, making her knees tremble. 

“When I went to my room, I felt refreshed, but you began to sing again. I awoke lying in my closet this morning. Did you think I wouldn’t figure it out?!”


	5. Chapter 5

“I am the God of Mischief, Raidne. I know all of the myths and the legends. I know the truth and the lies. How could you think you could get away with this?” 

Loki was towering over her, gritting his teeth. Raidne was both terrified and aroused at the same time. It was a dizzying combination. His bright blue-green eyes bore into her own, and she felt her breath coming in shallow gulps, her lips parting as she waited for him to finish. 

Raidne stood staring up at Loki for a few seconds before she could speak. Fury and Stark had been the only two people who had ever known about her other than her own mother. She could not believe she had been so careless. 

“Loki…I didn’t do it on purpose. Honest. I have never used my voice for that purpose before. I wasn’t thinking, and I am so sorry.”

Loki’s face, which had started out enraged, was beginning to soften. He almost wanted to believe her, but he had trusted before, and that had ended badly. So badly, in fact, that he was stuck here. 

“I’m not full-blood Siren, Loki. I am part human. My abilities affect human males, but I assumed that since you are a god and you aren’t particularly attracted to me, you wouldn’t be affected.”

Raidne noticed the change in Loki’s expression, and she began to relax. He didn’t look like he wanted to murder her anymore, but now he looked mildly confused. 

“What do you mean, you’re part human? How?”

“If you want the details, we will be here for a while. Can we sit? My neck is hurting from looking up at you.” 

“Ehehehe… yes. I suppose that would be okay.” 

 

Loki listened intently while Raidne explained how her mother used her voice to lure sailors to their deaths along the Grecian coast in order to steal their money and valuables. She told him about the pirate who returned several times; how her mother had fallen in love, become pregnant, and eventually died of a broken heart after her lover had gone away. 

“How tragic. How did you end up here?”

“Apparently, some American soldiers found me. They rescued me when they heard my voice. I guess I was crying or wailing. Who knows?”

“Anyway, I guess the point of that story, Loki, is that I will never use my voice for that purpose. Its destructive power is too great. It lead to my mother’s demise. She thought the pirate was in love with her, but it was superficial. He was only attracted to her power. When she stopped singing, he was gone, and she died.”

“Do you miss her?”

 

“I—I miss having a mother, but I don’t even remember her. I was just a baby. I wish I could miss her.”

Raidne’s eyes were watering, and Loki wasn’t sure what to do, so he scooted closer to her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. When she looked up at him, she had a startled, yet pleased expression. 

“Does this mean you forgive me?”

Her face was close enough to feel her breath on his cheek. He wanted to kiss her so badly.

She doesn’t even think I’m attracted to her. How could I not be?

“Of course I forgive you. It was the best sleep I’ve had since I arrived in this prison, even if it was against my will.”

 

Loki hadn’t moved his arm, and Raidne was secretly pleased to be so close to him. She couldn’t understand her attraction to him. After all, until now, he had not been very pleasant to her. He was gorgeous, though, and watching him sleep had not helped one bit. She had wanted nothing more than to curl up next to him, but that would have been a much more difficult conversation. 

“Loki, why haven’t you been sleeping?”

He sighed.

“It’s not important.”

“Please. It is if you’re losing sleep over it.”

 

“Alright. When they brought me to this gods-forsaken tower, they stripped me of my powers; my magic. I don’t remember a time in my life when I didn’t have it. I feel lost…helpless. I hate feeling this way. So, at night I have been trying to get them back. I am not even sure it is possible.” 

Loki looked at Raidne with the expression of a worried puppy. 

“I’m sorry for keeping you up at night, darling. I tend to get a bit frustrated, and I take it out on anything within tossing distance.”

Raidne giggled. She couldn’t look at that adorable face and stay mad at him. 

“I forgive you…But, is there anything I can do to help you? I can’t believe they took your powers. They already have you under lock and key. Why would they need to take everything?”

“You do realize who you’re talking to, right?”

“Well, yes, but it still seems extreme seeing as how you basically have no identity without them.” 

Loki’s heart swelled at her understanding. He didn’t know how, but she seemed to know him. Really know him. 

 

Raidne heard footsteps coming down the hall, and realizing what time it was, knew exactly who was coming to retrieve them. 

“Shit, we’re late! Loki, please don’t tell anyone about me. You’re the only person who knows except for Fury and Stark. If it gets out, I’ll have to leave, and I don’t know where I’ll go.”

Loki squeezed her shoulders.

“I won’t tell. Your secret is safe with me. Besides, I don’t talk to those imbeciles anyway.”

Just then, there was a knock at the door, and Steve called out to them.

“Guys? The meeting is starting. Fury will be here any minute.”

“Coming, Steve!” Raidne called back. 

Just as she and Loki were walking out of her room, Loki turned to face her. 

“For the record, darling, every red blooded male in this building is attracted to you. That includes me.” 

Raidne just stood rooted to the floor watching Loki strut away as if he had dropped a hand grenade in the hallway.


	6. Chapter 6

Raidne tried her best to go unnoticed as she entered the meeting five minutes later than everyone else. She stood in her doorway for at least a full two minutes contemplating Loki’s last comment. 

“Every red-blooded male in this building is attracted to you. That includes me.”

She smiled at the memory until another thought wriggled into her mind, making her blood run cold.

He has never shown any interest in me before. It must have been my voice.

Raidne shook her head sadly at the thought. She happened to be sitting across from Loki once again, and he gave her a puzzled look. She shrugged, feigning boredom, but Loki was no fool. He could see that she was unhappy, and he aimed to change that as only the God of Mischief could. 

Fury was standing at the head of the conference room droning on about the security of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s computer system. It seemed that every other person in the room was listening intently to his drabble, so Loki took the opportunity to choose the perfect target.

Stark was leaned back in his chair nodding arrogantly as if he knew exactly what Fury was saying; Bruce was diligently taking notes; Romanov sat, arms crossed, looking angry as per the usual…but the soldier was sitting tall in his seat right next to Raidne…and he was absorbed in Fury’s lecture, casually drinking ice water from a Styrofoam cup. 

Ehehehe…Perfect.

Loki smirked at Raidne, who grinned back at him with questioning look in her eyes. He tilted his head toward the soldier indicating she should keep her eyes on him. Raidne had no idea what Loki was up to, but she was up for anything if it would help pass the time. She watched as Loki’s hands disappeared under the table. 

His mischievous grin was the most intoxicating sight she had ever seen. So often in the past few weeks, Raidne had witnessed Loki’s anger, sadness, and exhaustion from afar, but she had never seen him so excited before. He was positively exhilarated. 

Loki placed his hands back on the table, raising his eyebrows at her, so she turned her attention back to Steve. A few seconds went by before anything happened, but soon enough, he lifted his cup to his lips, and the entire contents spilled in his lap. 

“Aaaah flip, that’s cold!” He turned the cup upside down, utterly perplexed to find a large hole in the bottom.

Raidne couldn’t help but throw her head back and laugh hysterically at him. Loki just sat there as if nothing had happened. The only indication he even noticed the commotion was his raised eyebrows in Steve’s general direction. 

Tony guffawed. 

“Did you say, ‘Ah flip’? C’mon, Steve. At least let out a ‘shit’ or ‘damn’ once in a while. I think ice water in your lap totally calls for a swear word.”

Steve glared at him.

“Watch your mouth, Mr. Stark.”

“Children, please! Can we get back to the subject at hand? Steve, do try not to wet your pants,” Fury chastised. 

Chaotic laughter broke out all over the room, and Loki leaned forward in his chair, watching Raidne’s delighted giggles with adoration. 

When the meeting finally ended, Loki quickly caught up with Raidne on her way out of the room. 

“Feeling any better?”

Raidne couldn’t help the blush that spread across her cheeks. She briefly smiled at Loki, then cast her eyes downward out of embarrassment. 

“Yes. That was brilliant! Why did you do it, though?”

“Because you were sad, and I wanted to see you smile.”

Raidne wanted to believe him. She really did, but she couldn’t ignore the nagging thought that he was only attracted to her because of her Siren blood.

The problem was, the more she was around Loki, the more she cared for him. He was misunderstood by so many; he had a hard exterior, but deep down he was kind and soft-hearted. A true gentleman. She wanted so badly to break through the rest of his barriers and give him the love and affection he needed, but she was afraid his attraction to her was only superficial. 

Her thoughts must have shown on her face because Loki was staring at her with a concerned expression. 

“Have I said something, darling?”

Raidne took his hand, pulling him toward her room.

“Let’s get out of the common area.”

When they reached her room, Raidne gestured for Loki to sit down while she nervously paced in front of him. She couldn’t find the words to explain her concerns at first, so Loki immediately thought the worst. 

“Listen, if this is about me confessing my attraction to you, I apologize. I didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable.” 

She stopped her pacing to look at him. He sounded so sincere.

“That’s just it, Loki. I don’t think you’re really attracted to me. I…I think it’s just my voice. You heard me sing, and now you think you are, but…”

Raidne didn’t get a chance to finish her thought because Loki was suddenly standing directly in front of her. He reached down, placing his hand on her face, and stroked her cheek with his thumb. Raidne was certain her heart stopped as she looked into his eyes. 

“Raidne, darling, you may be able to put me to sleep with your beautiful voice, but I am a god. I cannot be controlled by it. Believe me when I say that I am attracted to you. The question is, are you attracted to me?”

“Yes.”

It was all she could manage with his hand on her face and his body so close to hers. 

Loki leaned down and kissed her on the forehead, letting out a sigh of relief. 

“Thank the Norns.”


	7. Chapter 7

Raidne giggled nervously at Loki’s words. He still had his lips pressed against her forehead, and he had moved to wrap his arms around her waist. 

“Did you really have any doubt?” 

Honestly, how could he? Look at him. 

He lifted his lips just far enough away from her face to answer. Raidne could feel his breath in her hair.

“Of course I did. You’re, well…beautiful, and I’m basically a war criminal.”

Raidne tilted her head so she could look him in the eyes. She felt a pang of sorrow that he felt so down on himself. 

“That is not true, Loki. They want you to believe that so they can keep you here, train you to be one of them, and work you to death fighting their battles. You didn’t do anything they haven’t done themselves. Every single one of them, minus Steve, has taken just as many lives as you have. They want you for your skills…and they know you won’t help them unless they force you to. You are so much more than a ‘war criminal’.”

Loki stared down at her for a full ten seconds before pulling her flush with his body and kissing her. It was the sweetest, gentlest kiss Raidne had ever experienced. One hand was in her hair, stroking the back of her neck, and one hand was at her back, pulling her closer to him. His lips were soft on hers, never asking for more than she was ready to give. When they broke apart, he gave her a questioning look, as if he was worried he had overstepped his bounds. 

“I’m sorry. I should have asked first.”

Raidne smiled, blushing. 

“Don’t apologize. That was the best kiss I have ever had.”

“Then you won’t mind if I try it again sometime? Perhaps at dinner tonight? On the rooftop, around 7?”

“Are you asking me on a date, Loki?”

“I am. I wish I could take you somewhere, but I’m not allowed to leave the tower.”

“Bring a blanket. We can look at the stars!”

“Is that a yes?”

“Of course it is!” Raidne giggled. 

 

Loki walked out of Raidne’s chambers smiling more than he had in years. He only hoped she didn’t change her mind when she knew him better. He didn’t trust himself not to hurt her, but he was going to do his very best. After all, she was worth the effort. 

Loki went in search of everything he needed to make that evening a perfect first date. He rummaged through Stark’s cupboards looking for something to cook for dinner. Loki wasn’t a brilliant chef, but he knew his way around a kitchen, thanks to his uncanny ability to drive away all of his staff in Asgard. He had spent many evenings making his own dinner after Frigga had scolded him for his bad behavior. 

Finally settling on chicken tortellini Alfredo, he swiped a bottle of Shiraz from Tony’s stash, and headed for one of the smaller, under utilized kitchens on the tenth floor. He certainly didn’t want anyone catching him cooking a romantic dinner and asking too many questions. 

 

Raidne was a nervous wreck. For several minutes after Loki left, she simply stood there savoring the tingling sensation he had left on her lips. Never had she ever been kissed like that. She could hardly wait for the next time. She paced in front of her closet trying to decide what to wear for a dinner date on the roof, finally opting for a cream colored sundress. It was warm outside, but she made sure to grab a light sweater in case it was windy on the roof. 

After showering and drying her hair, Raidne looked to see that it was already 6 o’clock. She quickly dressed, adding her favorite gold sandals and dangling earrings, then put on just enough makeup to feel confident. She decided to forego the lip color in favor of gloss, hoping Loki would kiss her again. Her heart leapt into her throat just imagining it. 

When Loki finished cooking, he brought everything up to the roof, including the blanket Raidne had requested. 

If only I could share my illusions with her. I could show her stars she would never forget.

He sighed. He hoped she enjoyed their evening together. He had not been on a first date in a very long time, and he had never been on a date he had set up himself. They had all been pre-arranged by his family. He could still hear the sales pitches in his mind:

“Loki, meet ____, of ____. She’s of good breeding, from a noble family. She would make an excellent choice. Why don’t you two go for a stroll? Get to know each other.”

Those had been the most boring meetings of his existence. He didn’t care if those women were of “good breeding.” He wasn’t trying to marry a show pony. He needed a woman who understood him; someone who was willing to stand by him through all of life’s ups and downs; all of his ups and downs. Sometimes he was thankful to be away from the royal life. At least now, he could date whomever he pleased. 

 

Just then, Loki was pulled away from his thoughts by the sound of the rooftop door opening. 

“Raidne,” he breathed. “You look…lovely.” 

Loki took her hand, held it to his lips, and kissed it gently, sending shivers down her spine. 

“Thank you…You look so handsome,” she said, blushing furiously. 

Loki was pleased that Raidne thought so. He hadn’t had the slightest idea what to wear, so he chose one of his Midgardian shirts in black and a pair of jeans. Stark had provided him with what he referred to as “proper clothing” as soon as he moved into the tower. He thought Loki’s ensemble was a little too conspicuous. He had to admit, though, they were fairly comfortable, even if they did not provide any protection. And Raidne seemed to enjoy his appearance, so he was glad he had chosen well. 

Raidne glanced around, noticing the décor for the first time. Loki had brought a table and two chairs, silverware, a beautiful green tablecloth, wine glasses, a bottle of Shiraz, and a serving tray laden down with dinner he had prepared himself. The entire area was lit with tiny twinkle lights, and over to the side, unobscured by the city lights, was a blanket big enough for the two of them. 

“Oh, Loki! You did all of this by yourself?” Raidne was smiling so hard her cheeks actually hurt. 

“Well, I wasn’t about to ask anyone down there for help. They would just mock me.”

“I hope you like Italian food. It’s the only Midgardian cuisine I know how to prepare.”

Raidne threw her arms around Loki’s neck, surprising him with her sudden attack. 

“I love it! How do you know how to make Italian? You haven’t been here that long.”

“Let’s just say it closely resembles a dish I used to make for myself in Asgard. Except my version wasn’t made with chicken…”

Raidne was curious, but she thought better of asking what beasts gave the Asgardians their nourishment. 

 

Loki and Raidne ate dinner, sipping wine and talking about the meetings they were forced to attend, the others living in the tower, Raidne’s secret, and Loki’s sentence. 

“Why do you feel you need to keep your heritage a secret, Raidne? Everyone here has some kind of skill or innate ability.”

“The problem with my ability is that people are afraid of it. Even people like the Avengers. They are paranoid I’ll use it to control them. Fury wanted to kill me at first, and Tony didn’t want me here at all.”

“Fury wanted to kill you? On what grounds?” Loki growled.

“He was afraid of me…the only reason I’m alive and staying here is because Fury bribed Tony so he could keep an eye on me. And because he thinks he can use me at some point. Although I’m not sure how that will work if everyone in the team is hypnotized the moment I open my mouth.”

“You don’t need to open your mouth, love,” Loki winked. 

Raidne blushed, smiling at him. 

“What about you? Surely, you’re hiding something from them.”

Loki stiffened, and Raidne was immediately sorry she had said anything. 

“I can’t hide anything from them. They have tracked me from every possible angle. I have no secrets from S.H.I.E.L.D.” 

Although Loki said it with a sincere expression, Raidne could sense there was something underneath; something he didn’t want her to know, at least not yet. She reached across the table and placed her hand on his, rubbing it lightly.

“Take your time. I’ll be here when you’re ready.”

He looked into her eyes and she could see the relief there. She wouldn’t rush him. She knew he would confide in her in time. 

“I can’t believe you remembered to bring a blanket, Loki. Would you like to go stargazing with me?”

“More than you know, darling.”


	8. Chapter 8

Loki pulled Raidne over to him so her head was propped up in the crook of his arm. Lying on their backs, they watched as the moon moved across the sky over the tower. 

Raidne was too distracted by Loki’s presence to really enjoy the view, and Loki was too busy marveling at the scent of Raidne’s hair to think of much else. With her head on his arm, her long locks tumbled across his chest in thick waves, so he used his free hand to toy with it while they pretended to watch the night sky. 

“I wish I could show you my stars, Raidne.”

“Your stars? In Asgard?”

“No…the one bit of magic I still have left. I can create illusions. When I have my powers, I use them to confuse my enemies in battle, but in this case, I could show you stars that would take your breath away. Unfortunately, I can’t show you. I can only create them for myself now. No one else can see them.” 

Raidne turned toward him; her face only inches from his own. 

“Wow…You can make other people see things that aren’t there? No wonder they’re afraid of you, Loki.”

“Ehehehe…It’s not nearly as effective as singing a lullaby and knocking them out cold, my darling.”

Raidne giggled, but her face suddenly turned serious. 

“They don’t usually fall asleep…they usually fall in love. But only temporarily. That’s why they’ll do anything I ask of them.”

Loki’s face was suddenly softer, and he pulled her closer to him, pressing his lips to hers. She melted into his arms; into his kiss. One hand was at her waist, and the other was tangled in her hair. He touched her lip with the tip of his tongue, and she opened her mouth, allowing him to taste her. Loki sat up, pulling her into his lap, and wrapped his arms tightly around her. His hands travelled down her back, giving her chills as he kissed her. 

When they broke apart, Loki looked into her eyes. His face was serious, but so very sweet. 

“I don’t really know how to say this, but I feel a certain…connection…between us. And I don’t want you to think it’s because of your voice. It’s not. Although I would love it if you would sing to me again. I would be a willing participant this time. You gave me the first full night of sleep I’ve had since I landed on this godsforsaken realm.”

“I’m glad you feel it too, Loki. I really…like you. But, you actually want me to sing to you? You want me to put you to sleep?”

“Well, not right now, no. I am enjoying our time together too much. But when the time comes, I would love it if you would.”

Raidne smiled, shaking her head. 

“You baffle me…you know that? But if that’s what you want, I would be happy to do it for you. I know you need to rest. You aren’t going to fall in love with me are you?” She giggled.

Loki’s smile faded for a moment, but he recovered quickly.

“I just might, but it won’t be because of your singing, love.”

 

Raidne went to Loki’s room after he had knocked on the joining wall letting her know he was ready for bed. 

“Room service!” She crooned.

Loki was surprised to see her standing there in her pajamas; a long t-shirt that reached all the way to her knees. It covered much more than the dress she wore earlier, but for some reason, he found himself affected by it. He patted the bed next to him and she sat down. 

“Are you ready?”

“Not quite. I just have one more thing to do first.”

He pulled her toward him for one more kiss before he went to sleep. Raidne didn’t know if it was the proximity or the fact that they were in his bed, but her heart was racing, and she knew he could feel it. She was shaky when she began to sing to him. It was a simple song, but his eyes were drooping shut after only a few seconds. 

Then, out of nowhere, Loki reached out to her, pulling her down into his arms. He wrapped his body around hers and drifted off to sleep. 

“Loki?”

No answer…

“LOKI?”

Still nothing.

She tried to move his hands, but he only held on tighter, so she gave in. Gingerly pulling the blankets around them, she snuggled into his body and fell asleep. 

 

The next morning, Loki woke to find Raidne curled up beside him; her hair strewn across the pillow, lips parted, cheeks flushed from sleep. He couldn’t remember how she had gotten there at first, so he just let her sleep, fighting the urge to watch her. 

As he moved around the room grabbing the things he needed to get ready for training, he realized what had happened the night before. 

I must have trapped her. Gods, I’m such an imbecile. I asked her to sing for me, and when she did, I must have gone into a trance and forced her to stay. She must hate me.

He walked over to the bed, knelt down, and touched her shoulder. 

“Raidne, darling?”

“Mmm…”

“Raidne, I’m so sorry, love.”

Raidne blinked in the soft morning light, looking up at Loki’s tortured expression. 

“What’s wrong? What happened?”

She sat up slowly, brushing the stray hair out of her eyes. 

“I- I must have trapped you here. I swear I didn’t mean to, darling. I am so sorry. Please don’t think I’m some kind of monster.”

“Are you serious? I enjoyed every second of it…I mean, I tried to get up at first, not wanting to invade your privacy, but when I couldn’t…It just felt so good lying there in your arms.”

“You’re not angry with me?”

Raidne took Loki’s face in her hands, looking him in the eyes.

“Absolutely not. Would you like for me to sing to you tonight, too? I slept exceptionally well last night,” she winked.

Loki smiled.

“Oh yes.”


	9. Chapter 9

Raidne opened the door to Loki’s room, peeking down the hall to make sure no one saw her leaving so early in the morning. She didn’t care what the others thought, but she didn’t want them to give Loki any grief. He didn’t deserve the treatment he received from them. 

Seeing the empty hallway, she tiptoed down to her room and closed the door behind her, then gathered the things she needed for a shower. As silly as it sounded, she hated to wash Loki’s scent from her skin. She decided against tossing her night shirt in the laundry, instead opting to save it for when she felt particularly lonely. She pressed her face into the fabric, inhaling his scent before tossing it onto her bed. Loki’s smell was unique; a heady combination of light spearmint, the smell of fresh rain, and cold winter air. She shook her head at her own sentimentality and headed for the bathroom. 

Loki was still feeling slightly guilty about trapping Raidne in his bed the night before. Regardless of the fact that she was okay with it, he was much stronger than she was, and she had no choice but to stay. He wondered exactly what had happened, deciding he would have to ask her so he could set his mind at ease. 

When Raidne emerged from the bathroom, Loki was standing in the hallway, a concerned expression on his face once again.  
“Raidne, what…can you just tell me what I did last night? I can’t remember, and I—“

Raidne smiled, shaking her head.   
“Will you stop worrying so much? You didn’t do anything bad.” 

She closed the gap between them, placing her hands on his chest.   
“You were quite adorable, actually. Your eyes started to close, and you just reached out, pulling me into your chest. I let you do it, Loki. I %liked it. The only reason I tried to get up is because I was afraid you wouldn’t want me to stay. And when I tried to get up, you just held me tighter. It was so...I loved it. No one has ever held me like that.” 

Raidne dropped her head and stared at her feet, embarrassed at her admission. 

Loki stroked her cheek, then placed his hand beneath her chin, lifting her face to his, kissing her deeply. 

“I loved it too, my darling. We have to get to training now, but will you meet me on the roof again tonight?”

Raidne smiled up at him.  
“Okay, but let me bring dinner this time. I won’t let you do all the work.” 

 

When training had ended for the day, Raidne was surprised to see Fury speaking with Stark in the conference room. As she passed by the door, he motioned for her to join them. 

Oh no. They know about Loki and me. How could they possibly know already?!

She entered the room, her face already flaming red. Stark smiled at her as always, and Fury looked as impassive as usual. 

“Raidne, I have an issue I would like to discuss with you.”

Oh crap. This is it. 

“It seems we may have a new group of enemies targeting us, and when I say ‘us,’ I mean S.H.I.E.L.D. specifically. Mr. Stark and I both feel you have proven yourself trustworthy over the past two years, and we are officially inviting you to join our ranks. You would train as usual, and until the need arises, no one will know of your ability, but when we do strike, you will be involved. What do you think?”

Raidne simply sat there with her mouth hanging open. Of all the things she thought might happen in this meeting, this was not anywhere in her realm of possibility. 

“Director, will you give me a day or so to consider this? I am, of course, honored that you are considering me. I just…like to keep my life as private as possible.”

“I will give you 48 hours. I trust you to make the right decision, Raidne.”

Stark patted her on the back as she left the room. 

“Don’t you worry, Director Fury. I’ll get her to commit. I have my, ahem, ways.” 

 

Loki slipped into the shadows of the hallway just as Raidne was exiting the conference room. He could tell by the expression on her face that she was confused and slightly unhappy. Unfortunately, he hadn’t been able to get close enough to hear the conversation going on behind closed doors. He only hoped she would confide in him later that night. 

 

Raidne went back to her room, completely overwhelmed by the choice she had to make. She knew that if she chose to accept Fury’s offer, her secret would be out in the open for the entire world to see. It wouldn’t be kept between the Avengers. Everyone knew their powers, so everyone would know hers too. However, even though Fury hadn’t said so, she knew that if she chose not to accept, she would have to leave the tower. They wouldn’t allow her to stay there if they no longer saw her as a threat. She didn’t know what had changed their minds, but now that they were suddenly okay with her, she didn’t want to go. 

It might have something to do with the gorgeous god next door.

She shrugged to herself, putting the decision on the back burner until after her evening with Loki. She had been looking forward to it all day until Fury had called her in for their impromptu meeting, and she wasn’t about to let that ruin it. After showering and dressing in a dark green tunic and black leggings, she went in search of something to make for their dinner. 

How on Earth did Loki manage to make such a meal without being noticed? 

There were people everywhere. Cooking in the main kitchen proved to be an impossible task, so she decided to order something from the Chinese restaurant down the street. She could take the elevator down to street level, pick up the food, and take it straight to the roof without raising suspicion. She only hoped Loki liked dumplings, fried rice, teriyaki chicken, Mongolian beef, and sweet and sour pork. She even asked them to throw in a few extra fortune cookies in case Loki hadn’t had the pleasure of reading his fortune, then adding the words, “in bed” after it. 

 

Loki paced the roof, wondering if Raidne had decided not to join him after her meeting with Fury and Stark. He couldn’t help thinking they somehow knew about last night, and had advised her not to have any more dealings with him. Just as Loki was beginning to lose all hope of seeing Raidne that night, the door opened, and she appeared, carrying several large bags. 

 

“I’m so sorry I made you wait around for me! There were too many people in the kitchen for me to cook, so I got take-out, and they were late. I hope you like Chinese food…”

Her questioning face was so adorable, Loki just stood smiling at her. 

“What?”

“I’m just glad you came, that’s all. Now, let me take those bags, darling.”

“Why wouldn’t I?” She asked, handing the bags over. 

“You just…seem too good to be true.”

Raidne had been setting the table, but she stopped, looking at Loki, her mouth forming a little O shape. 

“Oh, Loki…That is so sweet! You know, I feel the same way about you.”

Loki moved toward her, pulling her into his arms, and kissed her sweetly.

 

When they had eaten all they could, Raidne handed Loki a fortune cookie. 

“What in the nine realms is this? Am I supposed to eat this substance?”

Raidne giggled.

“Break it open like this,” She cracked her own. “Then, pull the slip of paper out and read it.”

“Mine says, ‘You will exceed all of your expectations…in bed.’” 

Loki’s eyes grew wide. 

“It says that?” He snatched the paper out of her hands.

“No, not the ‘In bed’ part! That’s just a little tradition. We always add that at the end to make it more fun! Now, you do yours!”

“Oh! Ehehehe…”

Loki cracked his fortune cookie open, pulling out the slip of paper inside. 

“Mine says, ‘Expect big things to come your way…in bed’…Ehehehe… I think our cookies may have been swapped, my dear.” 

Raidne laughed, then blushed furiously, while Loki sat smirking at her. 

“Let me see that! Does it really say that?” 

Raidne flung herself toward Loki, but he pulled the slip out of her reach, jumping up from his chair. 

“If you want it, you’ll have to catch me!”

So, Raidne chased him all over the roof, laughing the entire time. When Loki finally slowed down long enough for her to catch up to him, they fell into a heap of tangled arms and legs on the blanket, forgetting that the slip of paper ever existed. Soon, they were locked together in a tight embrace, kissing as though the world were coming to an end.


	10. Chapter 10

Loki and Raidne stayed on the roof until dawn, knowing they didn’t have training or meetings the following day. At some point during the night, Raidne decided to ask Loki’s opinion of Fury’s offer. She didn’t think he would care if she joined the Avengers. After all, he fought alongside them all the time, but she really wanted to know how he would feel if she had to leave the tower. 

“So, Fury and Stark pulled me into a meeting today.”

Loki glanced up at her, pretending he didn’t already know about it.   
“What did they want? Surely they don’t know about us already…”

“That’s what I thought, at first! But no, Fury wants me to join.”

Loki sat up, looking slightly alarmed.   
“What do you mean join?”

“He said he trusts me, and he wants to use me for a possible upcoming mission. He wants me to join the Avengers. He’s giving me 48 hours to think about it.”

Loki was stunned. He wasn’t at all happy with the prospect of Raidne being in the midst of their battles, but he couldn’t very well tell her that.   
Raidne could see the conflict on Loki’s face, but she was unsure of its cause. 

“I’m not sure I want the world to know about me, Loki. As far as they’re concerned, Sirens are just a myth. If I join, my secret is out; not just to the Avengers, but eventually to the world. But if I don’t join, I feel certain Fury will ask me to leave the tower.”

The thought of Raidne leaving the tower made Loki feel ill. She was the only good thing to come into his life since the moment he found out his true parentage several years ago. But he did not know how she felt, and he wasn’t going to reveal his hand too soon for fear of losing his heart.   
If he gave his heart to someone, only to find out they didn’t want what he had to offer…he hated to think what that kind of rejection would drive him to do. 

He looked up at Raidne, his face clear of any expression.  
“I thought you wanted your freedom back. This is the perfect opportunity.”   
He forced a smile. 

Raidne couldn’t form an answer at first. She had hoped Loki would want her to stay, but clearly he didn’t care one way or another.   
“I supposed you’re right,” she said, flippantly. 

Raidne moved to stand up, and Loki grasped her arm.   
“Wait, where are you going?”

“I’m getting sleepy. I need to get to bed.” 

And my eyes are starting to water a bit, and I would like it if you didn’t see.

“I thought you were going to sing for me, darling.” 

Loki had that same pleading look on his face. He seemed to use it as a weapon. Raidne had a hard time saying no to him, but she needed to take a few steps back from her feelings for him.

She exhaled harshly, and Loki gave her a puzzled look. 

“Well, you should probably get used to falling asleep on your own. I won’t be around much longer anyway.”

With that, Raidne turned and walked away from Loki, leaving him standing there to ponder her sudden change in mood. 

 

As soon as Raidne had closed the door behind her, she took off at a jog down the stairs toward her room. She was afraid to take the elevator because she didn’t want anyone seeing her with tears streaming down her cheeks. 

 

Loki sat up on the roof for a few minutes wondering what could have possibly gone wrong. He knew he wasn’t the best at talking with females, but he tried. It must have had something to do with her staying at the tower. He wanted her to stay…he really wanted her to stay, but he didn’t know how to tell her without revealing too much. She had come to mean so much to him in such a short time, but he wasn’t ready to tell her how he felt. Not yet. 

Loki slowly made his way back down toward his room, but stopped in front of Raidne’s. He didn’t want to disturb her, but he couldn’t stand the thought of going to bed without saying goodnight. He tapped lightly on the door, thinking that if she was already asleep, the light sound wouldn’t wake her. 

He heard a cough, followed by a sniff, then; 

“W-who’s there?”

“It’s me. Can I come in?”

“Just…just a second.”

Raidne wiped her face as best she could, glancing into the mirror. 

Oh, there is no help for you, girl. He’s going to know you were crying over him.

 

Loki was stunned when Raidne opened the door to him. Her face was red and splotchy, and her eyes were puffy. He rushed toward her, pulling her into his arms on instinct.

“Raidne, darling, what’s wrong? Why are you crying?”

“I just…I thought there was something between us. I mean, I thought you wouldn’t want me to leave here…”

Loki couldn’t believe what he was hearing. She thought he didn’t want her. 

“Gods, how could I be so stupid?”

“What?”

“Raidne, I want you to stay. I can’t…I mean, I know I haven’t really told you how I feel about you, but I’m not ready. Please trust me. I don’t want you to leave. I’m sorry I was so nonchalant about that earlier. I just didn’t know how to respond. I am new here, you see.”

Raidne looked up at Loki, relieved to hear that he wanted her to stay. His face held such a tortured expression. She knew he had lived through so much. It must be so difficult for him to allow himself to have feelings at all, much less admit them to anyone else. 

“I understand, Loki. You don’t have to tell me how you feel. Take your time, I can wait. It’s just that…I want to be here, with you, and I really don’t care what I have to sacrifice to stay. I just want to know that you’re okay with that.” 

Loki couldn’t help the smile that broke across his face. Raidne made him feel wanted. He had felt unwanted for so long; it was a foreign emotion, but one he found that he cherished above all others. He pulled her close, kissing her forehead tenderly. 

“I am more than okay with that, my love. However, I do have one small request.”

“What’s that?” Raidne was blushing after hearing him say, 'my love.' 

“I know you can take care of yourself, but I don’t think I could stand to see you hurt. Please tell me you’ll avoid the fray if you do choose to join the Avengers.”

Raidne giggled. 

“I don’t think you’ll have to worry about that. My job is to sing and make our enemies fall in love with me, remember? They won’t want to hurt me. Although, I’m not sure how we’ll avoid you falling asleep…”

“I still don’t like this, Raidne. It’s a bad idea. Fury is full of bad ideas.”

“I know, but how else am I going to be able to stay here?”

Loki smirked.

“Make them distrust you. I am the master at that.”


	11. Chapter 11

“Alright, lay it on me, God of Mischief. How can I make them distrust me again?”

Loki laughed. 

“Ehehehe… well, for starters, let them know we’re together.”

Raidne looked at him, smiling. She had hoped he wanted to be together, but she didn’t know for sure. 

“So, are we? Together, I mean?” 

Loki’s face suddenly changed, and he was no longer smiling. He opened his mouth once, thought better of what he was about to say, closed it, then opened it again and began to speak. 

“I never meant to give you the impression that I wanted to be casual, Raidne. Do you wish to be…together with me?”

She blinked.   
“Without a doubt.”

Please don’t break my heart, Loki.

“Then we are together, my darling.”

“As for letting the others know, that will certainly make them distrust you. They trust me about as far as they could throw me, so if you are associating yourself with the likes of me, our alliance can only mean one thing to them…”

Raidne frowned at his conclusion. She didn’t like where he was going with this line of thought. 

“Loki, I have no desire to use you in that way. I think it is appalling that they treat you the way they do. Since you have been here, you have shown them nothing but respect; well, aside from the incident with Steve, but no one knows about that but me. I don’t want to use you as a way of making myself appear less trustworthy. It feels so…wrong.”

Loki was looking at Raidne with a mixture of wonder and something she couldn’t quite place. Need? Lust? She couldn’t figure it out. 

“I am telling you to do this, Raidne. And I—“  
He drew in a deep breath.   
“I can’t explain how much it means to me that you don’t think of me the way they do. It makes me want to wrap you in my arms and never let you go.” 

Loki’s jaw was slightly clenched, and Raidne could see now that the emotion playing on his face was, in fact, need. A deep, soul-crushing need that she could almost feel emanating from his very skin. 

Unable to form a coherent thought, Raidne replied;   
“Okay.”

“Okay, what?”

“Okay, I’ll do it…if that’s what you want. Now, are you going to hold me or not? I’m dying over here.”

Loki pulled her into his lap, wrapping his arms around her as tightly as he could. Raidne could see the dark circles under Loki’s eyes, and since they were already seated on her bed, she began to hum aloud. Soon, Loki’s eyes were drooping shut, and he had the most peaceful look on his face. He stared into her eyes as he fell asleep, pulling her over as he lay down on the bed. Raidne covered them both as best she could with his arms wrapped so tightly around her, and she drifted into a comfortable sleep.

 

The next morning, Loki woke, still holding a sleeping Raidne. He softly brushed her hair away from her face and kissed her cheek. He began to think about how they could subtly tarnish her reputation. He wasn’t totally against the idea of her working for S.H.I.E.L.D. but if she didn’t want everyone to know her secret, then he would help her in any way he could. 

Suddenly, Raidne’s bedroom door was flung open, and Tony Stark was yelling at him. 

“What the hell are you doing in here, Loki? Did you sneak in? Surely, she didn’t let you in here.”

Raidne’s eyes flew open, and she sat up. 

“TONY STARK! Did you just let yourself into my bedroom?! What the…? GET OUT!”

Stark stuttered, backing up. 

“Why’s Reindeer Games in here? Did you let him in? And why’s he wrapped around you like that? Are you guys…Wait a minute…you were…?”   
Stark cocked his head to the side.

“Yes, I let him in. It’s really none of your business, Tony. Now get-the-hell-OUT!”

Loki just sat, stunned. 

“Well, I guess they know now.”

Raidne reached over, kissing Loki’s cheek. 

“Good. Now, let’s make them sick.” 

“Ehehehe…”

 

To their surprise, no one besides Tony even cared that they were together. Their responses ranged from mild surprise to flat-out shrugs of disinterest. The only other team member who expressed concern was the soldier, who approached Raidne when she was making her lunch in the kitchen alone. 

“Ma’am, I know this is none of my business, but I feel it is my duty to speak with you.”

“Steve, I know what you’re about to say, and I really appreciate your concern, but Loki is a good man. You just don’t know him.”

“Raidne, with all due respect, he killed 80 people in two days.”

Raidne shot him a look of contempt. 

“And what about Natasha, Clint, Tony, and Fury? How many have they killed? You still trust them! How is Loki any different? He was on a mission #  
just like they were! He just wasn’t on a mission assigned by S.H.I.E.L.D.!”

Steve looked wounded. He backed up a few steps, and Raidne could see that she had made her point clear. 

“Steve, thank you for looking out for me. Really. But I can take care of myself.”

 

Later that day, Loki found Tony alone on the twentieth floor working on improving his armor for the umpteenth time. He figured a little subtle threat would work in two ways; stop Tony from entering Raidne’s room unannounced, and help them mar their collective reputations enough to get Raidne out of this Avengers nonsense. 

Loki was a skilled rogue when he needed to be, so when Tony finally turned around in search of a tool he needed, Loki had been standing directly behind him for ten minutes holding it. 

“Fucking HELL, Loki!”

“Ehehehe… It really is fun when someone waltzes into your private space unannounced, isn’t it?” Loki drawled, coolly. 

“What do you want? Wait, no. More importantly, how did you manage to get in here?”

Tony was still clutching his chest and breathing heavily. 

Loki shook his head, grinning maliciously. 

“I have my ways, Stark. As for what I want…I want you to stay away from Raidne’s room. If I catch you walking in there unannounced again, Raidne and I will make life unbearable for you. Do you understand me, metal man?”

“Are you threatening me, Loki?

Loki smiled.  
“Oh, no. I’m making a solemn vow.”

Before Tony could say another word, Loki handed Tony the tool he had been looking for and stalked out of the room. 

 

Raidne was slightly disappointed to see that the others had no real opinion of her relationship with the God of Mischief. Though she didn’t want to use him to get out of an alliance with the Avengers, she had hoped their plan would work. So far, the only people who seemed upset by it were Steve and Tony. 

However, when Fury arrived at the tower around six o’clock that evening, Tony spared no time pulling him into the conference room and slamming the door behind them. 

What on Earth could that be about? 

Loki walked up and slipped his arm around her. 

“Hello, darling. I thought I should let you know I may have done something bad…”

Loki smirked at her, pulling her down the hallway and into his room before shutting the door behind them.

“What did you do?”

“I may have made Tony a… subtle promise. Let’s just say he won’t be coming in your room again without knocking first.” 

“Loki! I thought we were supposed to be wrecking my reputation, not yours!”

“Darling, mine is already wrecked. Besides, I told him we would make his life hell.”

Raidne giggled.   
“So how are we going to do that?”

“Ehehehe… You could always make him fall in love with you, and I could beat him to death. I would find some satisfaction in that. However, I don’t think we could get away with that. I’m thinking something else. You said you could get your…victims to do whatever you wanted, yes?”

“Pretty much.”

“Do you think you could convince him to reverse whatever electronic force-field he has in place that is affecting my powers?”

Raidne’s eyes widened.   
“Um…that depends on how long it will take him to complete such a task. How do you know it’s an electronic device?”

“I know because any time they want me to use my powers, I am miraculously able to do so after Stark announces it to his computer. When Banner wants to use me for an experiment, there is suddenly no problem. Whenever we leave the tower on a mission, I have my full range of abilities. It must be one of Stark’s creations.” 

Raidne could tell that the thought of some Midgardian contraption limiting his abilities made him incredibly bitter, and she didn’t blame him one bit. She wanted Loki to have his powers back. Clearly, not having his magic made him miserable. 

However, she had some concerns:

What if Tony found out she had tricked him into disabling the device?   
What if Fury found out?  
What if Loki couldn’t help himself and used his powers enough that someone noticed?

Raidne sighed. 

“What are you planning to do once you have your powers back? I thought this was about getting revenge on Tony for busting into my room.”  
“It is. If Stark breaks into your room again, I’ll drive him to insanity with illusions. Ehehehe…”

“…However, it’s also about something else, my love.”

“What?”

“I want to show them to you. I want to be something other than one of Shield’s prisoners to you. I want to show you who I really am.”


	12. Chapter 12

Loki and Raidne were waiting until the opportune moment to put their plan into motion. They had to find the perfect moment; a time when Stark would be alone for longer than a few minutes, when Raidne could sing without being heard by anyone else in the vicinity. 

“How long does the effect last, darling?”

Raidne could see that Loki did not like the thought of Tony following her around like a sick puppy, but his desire for his powers overrode his jealousy for the moment. 

“It depends on the person, but since Tony already mercilessly flirts with me, I’m guessing it will last long enough.”

Loki gritted his teeth and glared into the distance. 

“Loki, I hate to say this, but I have been observing his daily habits, and there is only one place I can think of that I can guarantee he will be alone.”

Loki’s jaw clenched a little tighter at her words.  
“Where?” 

The word came out more like a growl. If it hadn’t been directed at her, Raidne would have found it quite arousing. He was just so…dangerous.

“Well, he does like his time in the Jacuzzi…”  
Raidne looked up at Loki, biting her lip. She was waiting for his inevitable explosion, but he was surprisingly calm, which was even more frightening.

“No. Absolutely not.”

“I think it’s our only option, darling. Just…hear me out. He’s always asking if anyone would like to join him. I’ll just—“

“No. Do you want me to kill him?”

Raidne giggled.   
“No, darling. I just think it’s our only chance at getting your powers back. I promise it will be totally innocent. I would let you come along, but you’d just fall asleep.”

Loki let out a sigh, then dropped his head into his hands, and Raidne just sat there running her fingers through his hair. 

“I’ll go in there, immediately start singing some AC/DC song, and convince him to do my bidding. It will be over before you know it, I swear. And as soon as it’s over, we can run to the roof and you can show me everything. I’m dying to see it, love…” 

Loki’s head snapped up at her use of the word love.  
“Okay…but if he lays one finger on you, I swear to the Gods, I will disembowel him.”

 

Later that evening, as Raidne had predicted, Stark walked into the common room announcing he was going for a soak.   
“I’m going to the hot tub. Anyone care to join me?”   
He waggled his eyebrows at Natasha and Raidne. Natasha snorted, then turned around, ignoring him, but Raidne took her opportunity. 

“Actually, I’ve heard that helps with sore muscles, but I’ve never tried it.”  
She rubbed the side of her neck to make her cover look convincing. 

“Oh, it does. And I’d be more than willing to help with that. I have magic fingers.”

Loki, who had been standing at the kitchen counter eavesdropping, nearly choked on his sandwich. 

“Are you alright, love?” Raidne called out in an attempt to comfort him.

“Actually, can you come over here?”

Raidne looked at him suspiciously, then walked over. When she reached Loki, he pulled her in, kissing her senseless; claiming her for the entire room to see. As he broke the kiss, he looked at Tony pointedly. Raidne could have sworn he glared at him. However, Raidne couldn’t care less. She was so breathless from his kiss, she wouldn’t have cared if he had thrown a dagger at Stark. 

“Al-righty…um… Are you ready?” Stark asked awkwardly.

“Sure, just let me get my suit on.”

 

As soon as they reached the indoor swimming area, Tony turned on the stereo system, and Raidne thought her chance was lost. However, a little flirting never hurt anyone, so she decided to try.  
“Tony, I thought maybe we could talk a little. Can you, maybe, turn that down a little?”

Of course, he grinned like the fool he was and obliged. This was going to be easier than she had originally thought. She could almost hear Loki’s signature laugh in her head. Ehehehe…

What is he doing to me? I used to be such a good girl.   
Raidne grinned at the thought. 

“What are you smiling about, gorgeous?”

Oh, barf.

“I was just thinking about Steve’s cup exploding in his lap…”

“Ah…I was hoping you were smiling because of me.”

Okay, someone kill me now. I just might let Loki disembowel him later…

Raidne was suddenly very excited to hear a song she knew.   
“Oh, I love this song!”

Tony grinned.   
“You like AC/DC? That’s gr—“

She didn’t let him finish before she began to sing. She was already fed up with his flirtation, and more than ready to be done with this ordeal.   
Shaking her head from side to side, putting on quite a show, she sang as loudly as she could in order to drown out the music in the background. Stark had to be able to hear her voice in order for her power to work. And it had to work on him before he realized what she was doing. After all, He knew what she was…

She was a fast machine  
She kept her motor clean  
She was the best damn woman that I ever seen—

That was all it took. Suddenly, Tony was all starry-eyed, and making his way toward her. 

“Raidne…you are so beautiful. I don’t know why I didn’t see it before. Well, I did see it. I gotta go tell Pepper. We belong together, you and me! Please, Raidne!”

Raidne scooted to the far side of the Jacuzzi, putting as much distance between her and Tony as possible.   
“Now, Tony, you know I’m not going to just jump into your arms. You have to woo me.”

“Oh, like Loki has? What does he have that I don’t? He can’t even do magic anymore! I should challenge him! I would win, hands down!”

Perfect. 

Raidne now had the perfect opening.

“Well, now, that isn’t fair, Tony. You have to let him have his powers if I am to judge fairly.”

“I’d still win!”

“Fine, then. What do you need to do to let him have his full powers?”  
Raidne was purring now. She didn’t want Tony to come out of his trance and figure out what she was doing.

“I am a genius. Didn’t you already know that? I’m the one who invented the device that took them away from him, so I already win!”  
“Wow, Tony…That is impressive. So, does that mean you can turn it off, and then you can show me what a man really is?”

“Absolutely! Let’s go. I’ll do it right now. Go get your weakling boyfriend.”

“I will, but I am dying to see this device you made. I see your suit in action all the time, but I want to see your other inventions. Pretty please?”

And now I’m going to vomit. 

Raidne was laying it on thick because she knew she had to be present for him to actually do her bidding. 

“Sounds good, baby.” Tony winked. 

 

Just moments later, Loki watched as Raidne and Stark emerged from the pool room wrapped in towels. Stark kept turning and looking at Raidne as if she were his last meal. Loki gritted his teeth, not at all sure how he would hold himself back from killing Stark. 

It’s almost over. Unless the effect doesn’t wear off. In that case I will kill him.

Raidne looked over at him, giving him a secret smile, which made him feel marginally better. 

After what seemed like an eternity, Loki began to feel the surge of power in his veins. He hadn’t felt his own strength in such a long time. Suddenly, he was himself again, and it was all because of Raidne. 

When Tony was finished with his task, he turned to Raidne. She couldn’t tell if he was still under her spell or not, and that frightened her. If he was, he would be ready to fight Loki, who would be more than willing to end his life. If he wasn’t, she was in for a world of trouble with S.H.I.E.L.D.


	13. Chapter 13

 

Tony was looking at Raidne with suspicion in his eyes, and Raidne was so afraid of what was about to happen next, she began to hum the first thing that came into her mind. Soon, Tony’s eyes clouded over again, and he was smiling at her as if she was everything in the world.

“What did you think of my invention? Cool huh?”

Raidne sighed to herself.  
_That was way too close. Thank God there was no one else in here._

“It’s amazing, Tony! You are SO brilliant!”

“Okay. It’s time for me to show you who the real man is. Let’s go get Rudolph.”  
Raidne cringed at Tony’s nickname for Loki, but followed him to the door without a word. However, she soon discovered that Loki had been closer to her than she had known.

He was lying just outside the door, fast asleep. Evidently, he had been eavesdropping on the last part of their conversation, and had fallen victim to her humming.

“What the hell is he doing out here? Raidne, your boyfriend is narcoleptic. He falls asleep everywhere!”  
Raidne could only imagine what had happened: Loki must have followed them out of jealousy, then fallen victim to her humming. She couldn’t help but giggle.

“What’s so funny? Wait a minute, wait a minute… he was eavesdropping on us!”  
_And the lightbulb finally came on inside that tiny brain of his._

“He probably just came back here to see what was taking so long, and fell asleep. He doesn’t get enough rest.”

“Well, he’s not going to get any more right now either!”  
Raidne watched in horror as Tony began to nudge Loki with his bare foot.

“Wakey, wakey Loki! We have some business to attend to!”

Tony was using the most annoying sing-song voice Raidne had ever heard. When Loki didn’t move immediately, Tony turned to her, taking her by her waist.

“I’ll bet he wakes up quicker if I kiss his girl in front of him!”

Just as Tony was moving in, Raidne glanced down to see Loki’s eyes glaring up at him.  
_Oh, fuck._

Suddenly, Tony was lying face-first on the floor, and Loki was standing over him. It was so quick, Raidne hadn’t even seen a flash of movement.

Loki’s chest was heaving with pent-up rage, and Raidne could see that he truly was ready to kill Tony where he lay.

“Loki, no. He’s already unconscious…That’s good, actually. If we move him to his room, he’ll forget any of this ever happened.”

“YOU EXPECT ME TO MAKE HIM COMFORTABLE AFTER WHAT HE TRIED?! DID YOU LIKE IT, RAIDNE? BEING HIT ON BY THE GENIUS, TONY STARK?”

Raidne couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She knew Loki had a temper, but she didn’t realize it could come back to bite her, too.

“Loki, you know I hated every second of it, if you’ll just stop and think about it. I don’t deserve this…”

“You were just going to let him kiss you. I saw you, Raidne. You can’t lie to me.”

“And I saw you open your eyes, so I knew you wouldn’t let that happen, Loki! I had to make it look like I was interested… to get your powers back!  
Now, if you would like to keep them, I suggest we move him now, and take this conversation elsewhere!”

“Fine. If that’s what you want.”

Raidne watched as Loki knelt down next to Tony. He waved his hand, bathing them in green light, and they vanished.

Raidne made her way back to her bedroom, holding her tears back until she could be completely alone. She should have seen this coming; the God of Mischief couldn’t possibly want her. He was only using her to get his powers back. He had picked that fight to get rid of her.

_Well, the joke’s on him because I’m going to confront him…make him fess up. As soon as I can stop the waterworks._

She waited in her room for while, still hoping Loki would come and apologize, but he didn’t. He wasn’t in his room, either. So, Raidne took the elevator to the roof, knowing that was where he would be.

She found him perched atop a pile of cinderblocks, casting random spells, evidently to amuse himself. When she approached him, he turned, gazing up at her with trepidation.

“I took that weasel to his chambers. He had a bump on his head, so I laid him on the floor with a half-empty liquor bottle next to him. He shouldn’t become suspicious.”

“Loki, I don’t really give a damn about Tony. I’m glad you have your powers back, but I wish you had just told me that’s all you wanted from me.”

Loki furrowed his brow, not really understanding what Raidne was trying to say.

“I mean, I like you, so I probably would have done it for you anyway. You didn’t have to go through all of the trouble…convincing me you actually cared for me. Then, you picked a stupid fight, just to get rid of me! How old are you anyway?”

Raidne was pacing back and forth in front of Loki, flinging her hands around while she spoke. She refused to let him see her cry over this. She knew she would probably cry for weeks over him, but not here, not now.

He stood up, and began to walk toward her, but she backed away, putting both hands out in front of her.

“No! No, no, no, no… Don’t come any closer.”

“Raidne, love, I am so sorry I yelled at you, darling. I should not have done that. I let my jealousy get the better of me, but I swear to you I did not do this just to get my powers back. I want to be with you. I have…trust issues. I thought you were having too much fun with Stark, and I just…snapped.

"Please believe me. I do care for you, Raidne.”

Loki’s eyes were so sincere, so full of remorse, Raidne had no choice but to believe him.

“Is that why you were lying outside the door when we came out? Were you eavesdropping?”

“Ehehehe…No, actually, I heard you humming, and I couldn’t fight it… I walked in there and fell asleep trying to get closer to your voice, my dear. If you recall, that’s exactly how I ended up in my closet a few nights ago.”

Raidne was so touched by his admission, she just wanted him close to her. She wanted his lips on hers, his tongue tangled with her own, his raven locks fisted in her hands.

“Come here, Loki,” Raidne whispered, waving her hand at him.

Loki smirked, then walked over, pulling her into a tight embrace.

“Do you want to see my stars?”

“Is that how you talk all the women into your bed? Show them your stars?”

“No, my darling. I have never shown my stars to anyone before…you’ll be my first.”


	14. Chapter 14

Raidne smiled up at Loki, unable to believe that she would be the first woman to see his illusions. He was so handsome, so very charming, she couldn’t imagine how he didn’t have women in every corner of the universe.

“Do you want to stay out here, darling? If so, we’ll have to go get the blanket from my chambers. I didn’t bring it out here when I came up. I was a little…preoccupied.”

She giggled at his description of his earlier rage.

“Again, love, I am so sorry. I should never have said those things to you.”

Raidne reached up to stroke his hair.

“Loki, you are forgiven. The way I see it, your usual gentle demeanor has to be balanced out somehow…and I guess this is how. We all have those moments, my darling. I hope yours aren’t always directed at me, but I can deal with you. Just…try to remember that I really don’t want to shag Tony.”

“Shag?”

“Screw.”

“What?”  
Loki still looked confused.

Raidne cocked her head to the side.

_Really? I’m going to have to explain this?_

“I don’t want to have sex with Tony! Okay?”

“Oh! Ehehehe!”

“Come on, Loki…Let’s go get that blanket. I think my face is going to melt from embarrassment.”

 

Loki led the way to his room, and Raidne couldn’t help staring at his movements. He was just so graceful, but in the most predatory way. She felt guilty for imagining him as he was when he had fallen asleep in the hallway, his robe hanging open. She had only glimpsed his front side that night. She wondered what the back looked like… probably just as muscular.

By the time they made it to his room, Raidne was ready to see if she was correct. Loki turned around just as she was eyeing the back of his legs.

_Caught in the act. Damn._

He raised his eyebrows at her, smirking.

“See anything you like, love?”

Raidne stood there, blushing furiously and biting her lip. She couldn’t even speak.

Loki took two steps toward her, grasped her waist, and pulled her into his room. As soon as he closed the door behind her, he claimed her lips with his own.

She moaned into his mouth as he pressed his hard body against hers. She gently sucked his bottom lip into her mouth, pulling it between her teeth before releasing it, enjoying the sound of Loki’s groan.

“Raidne…” he whispered gruffly.

“Yes, Loki?” Raidne managed, between their desperate kisses.

“If you still want to go up to the roof, we should stop this now…”

“Can you show me your stars in here? Later?”

Loki chuckled, then groaned as Raidne ran her hands down his chest to the waistband of his pants.  
“Oh, yes.”

 

“Raidne, are you sure you want to do this with me?” Loki asked as he was letting his hands wander up her thighs.  
She was draped across his bed, unable to think of anything but his hands, his lips, his body.

“Loki, I have wanted to do this with you since the moment I saw you lying in the hallway wearing nothing but a robe…and that desire has only increased exponentially since then.”

She helped him remove his shirt, and as he turned to toss it onto the floor, she was finally able to see the back she had been wondering about.

_So lithe and lean, but muscular. Broad shoulders, pale perfect skin…and those two dimples at his hips…dear God._

He turned to face her, but she shook her head.

“Turn around.”

“What?”  
She leaned her head to the side, indicating he should listen, so he did.

Raidne stood on her knees on the bed, then ran her hands up and down his back. When she began to kiss and lick those dimples at his hips, Loki turned to face her.

“Gods, Raidne…” He panted, bending down and pushing her into the mattress.

“I wasn’t finished…”

Loki silenced her protests by removing her dress and pulling her nipple into his mouth. His hands were everywhere, it seemed. One was on her other breast, teasing her nipple, while the other was travelling up her thigh coming dangerously close to her panties. As he slipped his finger into the edge of them, he worked his way up her chest toward her mouth. Raidne was breathing so heavily she could barely kiss him back. He tugged her panties down with both hands while simultaneously kissing her, breathing worshipful words into her mouth.

“You are the single most beautiful woman in all the nine realms…”

Raidne watched through heavy-lidded eyes as Loki sat up, ran both hands down her belly, and tossed her panties to the floor. He gave her a wicked grin before inching his hand up her inner thigh and sliding his long slender fingers inside her.

She gasped, then moaned his name as he moved them in and out slowly, rubbing his palm against her already sensitive bud.

“Look at me, Raidne. I want to see your eyes as you come undone for me.”

She hadn’t realized she had closed them, but when she looked at Loki’s face and saw his intense gaze on his face, she became even more aroused.

She began to pant, calling out to him.

_If he would just move a little faster…_

“Loki, please…”

She watched as a grin spread across his face, then she felt him increase his speed just enough to send her over the edge. Raidne threw her head back, closing her eyes again…

“Look at me, baby…I want to watch.”

Loki watched as Raidne’s eyes rolled back, her mouth opened in a low gasp, and he thought it was the most beautiful thing he had ever witnessed. He kept up the pressure until she was finished, then quickly rid himself of his jeans.

He climbed up onto the bed, positioning himself between her legs, and leaned down to place soft, gentle kisses all over her face and neck.

Raidne reached between them and began to stroke him; her soft touch hardening him almost painfully.

“I want to make love to you, Raidne.”

“Please, Loki…” was all she could say.

Raidne gasped as he began to rub his erection up and down her entrance. When he entered her, he held her gaze, letting out a low groan. He filled her up so completely, she was panting from the invasion, and when he began to move, he continued to look into her eyes. Occasionally, Loki would drop his head down, nipping at her neck or kissing her passionately. She had never felt so connected to anyone during sex, so it didn’t take long before she began to feel her second orgasm begin to build.

She started to breathe heavily, her hips lifting off of the bed, her head pulling back, so Loki reached between them to stroke her right where he knew she needed it.

“That’s right, darling… Gods, you’re beautiful.”

He continued to thrust as she gasped his name over and over again, and when he began to feel her clench around him, he found his own release. Loki collapsed onto his elbows, dropping his head to bury his face in her hair.

“Stay in my chambers tonight, Raidne...please. Sing me to sleep.”

“Okay.”

 

When she began to sing, Loki’s eyelids drooped, then he turned his head to her for a few seconds, opening his eyes. He looked almost like a small child. She smiled endearingly at him.

“I…love you…Raid..ne…”

Loki wrapped his arms around her, and closed his eyes, leaving Raidne wondering if he really meant that, or if he was simply dreaming with his eyes open.


	15. Chapter 15

Raidne looked at Loki’s face for a few moments. He had become so precious to her in such a short period of time, and even if he didn’t mean what he said, she knew how she felt. She stroked his silky hair, and brushed a soft kiss on his forehead.

“I love you, Loki…”  
She drifted off to sleep.

 

When Raidne woke the next morning with Loki still wrapped tightly around her, she remembered the events of the night before, but she felt differently about them in the soft morning light.

_Dear God, what if he only said that because I was singing? He did get his powers back last night, so that may have affected him. That would be okay, but…I’ve fallen in love with him. I am my mother._

Raidne lay there utterly horrified and completely uncomfortable until Loki finally woke up. As soon as she felt him stir, she leapt out of bed and ran into her room, tossing random objects into a suitcase.

“May I ask what you are doing, my love?”  
Loki was standing in the doorway, still rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, but he had a perplexed look on his face. Raidne could hardly bear to look at him.

“Loki, I—I have to leave.”

“Where are you going? Did Fury decide to send you somewhere already? You didn’t agree yet, did you?”

Raidne stopped pacing, deciding the best course of action was to face him and tell him the truth.  
“No. This isn’t a mission. Loki, I have to leave here…for good.”

Loki walked over to her, which made Raidne begin to tremble. She was suddenly afraid she would lose her resolve with him standing so close to her.  
“Why, darling? I thought…I thought things were okay after, well, after last night. Did I do something wrong?”

When Raidne let herself think of the night before, she began to cry, and Loki assumed he had, in fact, done something to drive her away.

“What is it, darling? I promise, I won’t do it again! Just tell me!”  
Loki moved to put his hands on her shoulders, but Raidne knew she couldn’t allow him to touch her. She began to back away from him, and his face crumpled.

“Loki, you did nothing wrong. Last night was…the best night of my life. I promised myself I would not turn into my mother, and this is me keeping that promise.”  
She began to toss more clothing and other items into her suitcase, but Loki grasped her arm, effectively stopping her progress.

“Wait. What do you mean?”

Tears were still pouring down her face, and Raidne didn’t want to explain. She didn’t want to tell Loki that she had fallen in love with him. For some reason, saying it out loud to him while he was conscious would make it more real, and she didn’t want that. She already felt like she had a sword through her chest.

“Please, please don’t make me explain. Think about the story I told you. I can’t do this.”

Loki saw such pain in her eyes, but he didn’t understand why. He recounted the events of her mother’s life in his mind…

_She drew sailors in with her voice, stealing their belongings for her living…She fell in love with a man, lured him to her, got pregnant, then died when he left her... But why would that happen to Raidne?_

“You…love me?”

Raidne only nodded her head.

“Raidne, love, I don’t see what the problem is… I told you I loved you last night. Did you not believe me?”

Raidne lifted her head to look at him, wide-eyed.  
“You remember that?”

“Of course I remember that! Why wouldn’t I?”

“I was singing to you. I thought…well, I thought since you had your powers back, maybe my power was affecting you differently. And that’s when I realized that I- that I love you.”

Loki pulled her toward him, embracing her.  
“Silly girl.”

He ruffled her hair, and she giggled against his chest.  
“Please don’t leave, Raidne. I do love you…and I haven’t shown you my stars yet. Don’t you want to see my stars?”

“Oh, Loki…I love you too. And of course I want to see your stars. I’m sorry, I sort-of caused us to miss that last night.”

“Ehehehe…No, no, darling. We did see stars, if I remember correctly. Never apologize for that!”

“Now, allow me to help you put your belongings back in your closet, my love.”

 

When they had finished tidying Raidne’s room, Loki walked into the common area hoping to find out if Stark had emerged from his room yet. However, he was met with some suspicious stares from the other team members.

_Damn. Something must have stirred in here this morning._

“And here’s the mischief maker now! You and your girl have some explaining to do…” Stark announced.

Just then, Raidne walked in looking positively ethereal, and Loki had to fight to keep his attention on Tony. She blushed when she noticed him eyeing her appreciatively, which made the situation even worse for Loki.

“What have I missed?”

“I want to know…” Tony cocked his head at Raidne, “Why I was lying face-down on the floor this morning clutching a half-empty tequila bottle. I don’t drink tequila. Everyone knows that. Everyone except for you.”

He looked pointedly at Raidne, who shrugged her shoulders.

“What do you think I did, Tony? Do you think I dragged you into your room, drank half a bottle of tequila, and left you there clutching the bottle? Do you hear how utterly ridiculous that sounds?”

“Eheheh…”

“What are you laughing at? Did she make you drag me in there?”

“No. I was laughing at the amusing picture she just painted.”

“Well, all I’m saying is that something nefarious took place last night, and I want to know what! I know I didn’t get wasted because I don’t even have a hangover. It had to be one or both of you because the last thing I remember is getting into the Jacuzzi with her.”

Loki just stood there smirking at him.

“My, my aren’t we paranoid. Perhaps it’s early Alzheimer’s, old man, as I highly doubt my Raidne would want to spend her precious time getting you drunk and taking advantage of you.”

“Oh, you’re one to talk! How old are you now, two thousand?”

“Ehehehe…I am a god, you imbecile. I don’t age.”

Until that point, Natasha, Bruce, and Steve had been standing by watching the show, but when the argument was reduced to name-calling, Steve intervened.

“Alright, alright guys. I think we can all agree, this is going nowhere. Take a breather…before it gets out of control.”

Loki gave him a devious grin.

“I was quite enjoying myself.”

Tony stalked away muttering something about allowing emo gods into his tower.

When everyone else left the room, Raidne turned to Loki.  
“Um, I thought Tony drank everything.”

“Not tequila.”

“What? You _knew_? Why did you use that particular bottle, then?”

“You wanted to make them suspicious of you, yes? And now, you won’t have to do anything. I can create the illusion of you acting suspiciously. Fury will have no choice but to house you here.”

Raidne’s mouth fell open.

God of Mischief, indeed.

“You…you are amazing.”

“Why, thank you, my love. I only wanted to help you in any way I could.”

“So, now that they are all mad at us…why don’t we go hide away in your room? Let’s go see your stars now.”

“Ehehehe… That’s beginning to sound like a euphemism.”

Raidne licked her lips.  
“Maybe it is.”


	16. Chapter 16

It was the middle of the day, but Loki and Raidne were contentedly snuggled under the blankets in Loki’s bed. There was no training that day, and everyone was still scrambling to figure out what had happened to Tony the night before, so they decided to hide away. 

Loki brushed a stray strand of hair away from Raidne’s face, then pulled his arm out from under her head. 

“Alright, darling…now that we have completed that mission, for the moment,” he winked, “I would like to actually show you my stars.” 

Raidne giggled, burying her face in his bare chest. 

“I really didn’t mean it as a euphemism… but you suggested it, and I wasn’t going to say no. Not after last night,” She flushed crimson, and hid her face once again. 

“My dear, sweet Raidne, you never have to be embarrassed about these things. I would spend all of my time pleasuring you if I could get away with it. We would never leave my chambers.”

Raidne took a deep, shuddering breath.

“You had better stop talking like that, or I will never see your stars!”

“Ehehehe…okay, then. I will postpone my talk of pleasuring you until afterward,” he said, smirking. 

Raidne watched as Loki raised his hand, casting a green glowing light in his palm. He then tossed the light toward the window, effectively blocking out all sunlight from entering his room. When Raidne gasped, he chuckled and began his next task. 

He held his hands in front of him, his fingers spread as though he were holding a ball. He began to move his fingers, slowly at first, then more and more rapidly. Raidne was fascinated to see that tiny lights were dancing in his palms and spreading out in front of his fingers. When she dared to glance away from his spell to see his face, she enjoyed watching his look of pure concentration, as well as absolute joy. 

Suddenly, Loki flung both arms into the air, and stars exploded all around them in colors bolder and brighter than any of those she could ever see in the night sky. They were so real, she was certain she could reach out and touch them. Bright orange and pink swirling galaxies swirled along the ceiling; several dark blue moons orbited around their heads, and tiny twinkling stars of all colors were sprinkled in every corner of the room. 

“Loki…” Raidne was in awe. She was unable to gather the words to continue her thought. 

“Do you like it?” He asked, earnestly. 

“Do I like it? This is the most amazing thing I have ever seen. I can’t believe you created all of this. How do you even deal with reality? If you can create illusions this beautiful, how do you keep yourself from staying in them forever?”

Loki was pleasantly surprised to hear such a question from her. He had spent many hours surrounding himself with illusions while locked in the dungeons on Asgard, and it had been very difficult to stop, especially when he had been so miserable and alone. 

“You understand me in ways no one ever has. It was difficult, Raidne. I won’t lie. When I was in the dungeons, I had no reason to stay present. There were days; weeks, even, when I did not emerge from my fantasy world at all. Frigga, my…mother, was the only person who bothered to visit me, and the only person who could pull me back to reality.”

Raidne wriggled closer to Loki, not knowing what to say. She had never experienced such pain in her life, and all she wanted in that moment was to soothe his troubled soul. She couldn't understand why no one had chosen to get to know him a little better. They all thought he was just an evil villain, hell-bent on destruction, but he really was a beautiful person who had suffered terribly, and she knew she had not even scratched the surface yet.

Her voice was small and shaky when she finally spoke.

“What keeps you from doing that now? Just submerging yourself in dreams?”

Loki kissed her forehead tenderly, then brushed his lips across her cheek before whispering his answer into her ear.

“You.”

 

Later that evening, when the rest of the team was busy playing a game of poker, Loki decided to further his plans at making Raidne seem untrustworthy. 

He cast an illusion that would make him look like her. Dressed in a skimpy white sundress, he walked down to where the others were playing, and stood in front of the window, beckoning Stark out of the room. Although, it made Loki a little ill to do such, he played the part as well as he could; batting his eyelashes, pouting his lips, and showing as much cleavage as he could. 

Of course, Tony leapt up from the table like a well-behaved golden retriever. 

“Loki left me all alone, and I was just wondering if you could keep me company for a while? You’re not still mad at me, are you?”

Tony glanced down at her chest, then shook his head vehemently. 

“Um, no, no, of course not! What do you want to do? I was losing anyway.”

“Oh, thank goodness… I was just so upset, thinking you were angry with me. Can you show me some of your inventions? I think your stuff is so cool! I have always wanted a closer look.”

Loki hoped Tony didn’t remember the previous night at all. Raidne had assured him that Tony wouldn’t recall any of it, so he was taking a huge risk by asking to see his tech again, but Loki had plans. He knew Tony had certain devices that kept him confined to the tower, and he was going to find them. It was always nice when he could accomplish two tasks at once.


	17. Chapter 17

Tony opened the door, ushering Loki through, and Loki could almost feel Tony’s eyes roaming up the back of his legs. He suppressed a shiver, reminding himself that he was disguised as Raidne at the moment. He couldn’t understand how any respectable woman could date Stark, knowing how he ogled other women.

“So, did you and the dark one have a fight, or what?”

Loki glared at Tony for a split second before resuming his pleasant demeanor.

“No…he just needed some time to himself. He prefers his solitude once in a while.”

“Welp, his loss. So, what do you want to see? Wanna see my suits? Everyone wants to see my suits.”

Loki gave him the best flirty smile he could muster, hoping his own mischievousness didn’t show on Raidne’s face.

“Tony, no offense, but everyone has seen your suits. I want to see the stuff no one sees. The really cool stuff.

Stark looked hesitant for a moment; slightly suspicious, even, so Loki did what he does best; he talked his way in.

“I mean, everyone talks about you like you’re some kind of off-the-charts genius, but all I have ever seen is your Iron Man suit. It’s impressive, but I think tons of people would be capable of doing the same thing if they had your money. I know you have other little gadgets in here too…”

Stark’s face reddened slightly, and Loki knew he had hit his mark.

“Hey, my suit may not impress you much, but I’ll tell you what impressed Fury; when I designed a device that would hold an alien god inside this building! A homicidal alien god!”

Loki acted indignant, although he was secretly laughing inside.

“Don’t you _dare_ talk about Loki that way, Tony! I don’t believe you anyway. There is no way one of your toys keeps him inside this building. He must stay here because he wants to. There really is no other explanation.”

Tony huffed.

“Fine, I’ll show it to you if you don’t believe me!”

Loki was practically vibrating with excitement as Tony led him toward the back of the tech lab. On their way, Loki noticed that Tony had a small stash of liquor set up on a table. The man drank everywhere, and Loki was glad because he now knew how he could use that to his advantage.

“Here it is,” Stark pointed to a large black object hooked up to several wires and monitors. There were energy indicators on the monitors, which Loki assumed were set up to sound an alarm if he attempted escape.

“So, what does it do, exactly?”

“Well, it doesn’t exactly hold him here, but it sounds an alarm if he tried to walk out or leave the building…and my security devices will trap him when the alarm sounds.”

“Oh…well, that’s really smart, Tony. Listen, I’m sorry if I was confrontational earlier. I’m just really tense. I mean, with our argument earlier, and Loki needing space…”

Tony smiled, looking suddenly excited.

“Hey…do you want a drink? I have supplies in here! I can go get us one.”

“Really? That would be great! Do you have anything girl friendly? Something fruity?”

Loki knew the fruity things took longer to make, so he sent Stark off, and he got to work. As soon as Stark rounded the corner, he began to use his magic to sever the connections between the device and the building’s alarm system. He wanted to be sure that the device still appeared to be working. He had just finished when Stark returned with the single most disgusting pink concoction he had ever tasted.

He drank it down, trying desperately not to choke, all the while continuously flirting with Stark. He was going to need some serious Raidne love when he returned to her. He was beginning to feel very…filthy.

“Well, Tony, thank you for hanging out with me tonight. I really needed the company. I’m getting sleepy now, so I guess I’ll go back to my own room.”  
Loki faked a huge yawn to prove his point.

“Anytime, beautiful.”

_Gods, please get him away from me._

 

Loki was careful to go straight back to Raidne’s room instead of returning to his own chambers. He wasn’t sure if Stark would watch him, but he didn’t want to take any chances. Raidne was waiting for him when he returned.

“Woah…this is…weird.”

Loki returned to himself at last, sighing.

“Darling, I just spent two hours flirting with Stark, and gritting my teeth while he stared at my body. Please make me forget.”


	18. Chapter 18

Raidne felt responsible for the slightly horrified look on Loki’s face. She knew he had gone through all of that just to help her sully her reputation with the Avengers, so she had to find a way to make it up to him. Spending any amount of time alone with Tony was brutal, but Loki had gone way beyond the call of duty.

Raidne looked at Loki with hooded eyes and the tiniest hint of a grin.  
“How can I make it up to you, darling? You have some lovely scarves in your closet…”

Loki felt the air rush out of his lungs.  
“Are you suggesting…?”

She raised her eyebrows, biting her lip.  
“Oh, yes.”

Without warning, Loki scooped her into his arms and carried her into his bedroom, slamming the door shut behind him.  
“Couldn’t we have stayed in my room, love?” Raidne giggled.

Loki peeked his head around the closet door.  
“We could, yes, but I have resources,” he pointed to his four-poster bed that she was currently sitting on.

“Oh…” The image in her mind was so erotic, she felt herself growing wet at the thought. She stretched out across his bed, waiting for him to emerge from the closet.

Loki walked out, prowling toward her wearing nothing but a pair of black silk boxer shorts, and carrying four scarves of different colors; two that she recognized. He used his magic to dim the lights in the room so that they were bathed in a dark rose colored glow.

He climbed up on the bed so he was leaning over her, and she began to pant, even though he wasn’t even touching her yet.  
“Are you sure about this, Raidne? I would never hurt you, but I want you to be sure.”

“Oh, I’m sure. I know you won’t hurt me…I trust you.”  
Raidne was almost certain she would explode the moment he touched her. He leaned down, pressing his lips to hers, so sweetly, then began to pull her sundress over her head.

“I have to do this now. I won’t be able to once your wrists are tied. Ehehehe…”  
He tossed her dress to the floor, then, holding her wrists above her head on the bed, began kissing up her throat. He nipped her earlobe, running his tongue along the edge of her ear. Then he came back to her mouth. Loki tangled his tongue with hers, tasting her sweet mouth, then pressed his nose against her cheek. Slowly and methodically, almost without Raidne’s realization, he ran one hand up her arms and tied her right, then her left wrist to the bed posts. When she caught on to what he was doing, she began to writhe underneath him, moaning.

“God, Loki, I am so turned on…”  
Loki could tell by the flush on her skin, the heat radiating off of her, but it was incredibly sexy to hear her say it.

He ran his hands down her bare body, stopping at her belly and pressing his mouth just below her navel. Raidne let out a low moan. He could feel her breath coming in shallow gasps under his lips as he began to work her panties down her legs.

Raidne’s heart was racing as Loki caressed her feet, tying her ankles to the bed. She could only imagine what he had planned for her, spread out on his bed, completely at his mercy.

“Are you okay, Raidne? Is anything too tight?”  
His voice was husky, and Raidne could tell that he was just as aroused as she was.

“I’m fine…”  
_I’m about to start begging, but I’m fine._

Loki grinned down at her mischievously, and Raidne knew he was going to give her exactly what she needed.

He braced his hands on either side of her legs, then began to lick, nip, and kiss up her legs, stopping just short of where she wanted him. Raidne’s legs shook, and she whimpered, but that only furthered Loki’s excitement. His fingers danced across her ribs, down her belly, dipping into her navel, then across her hips. She bucked her hips off of the bed, but he still didn’t touch her.

“Loki!”

“Tell me what you need.”

Raidne groaned.  
“I need…I need…Damnit, Loki! I need you to touch me!”

“Ehehehe…”

Her sudden irritation was an aphrodisiac, and Loki decided enough was enough. Gently, slowly, he ran his hands up the insides of her legs. He could feel her legs trembling as she squirmed in her bonds. When he reached the apex of her thighs, he dipped his fingers into her, and she gasped.

Raidne knew she wouldn’t last long. She had waited for his touch for so long now…as soon as she felt his fingers brush her sex, she could feel herself begin to tighten. His eyes were on her, dilated with arousal as he slowly, methodically rubbed her and slipped his fingers inside her. When she began to call out to him, he dropped his head down and licked her, moaning.

“Gods, Raidne, your taste is intoxicating”

She begged him to move a little faster, but he continued his slow pleasure until she finally reached her peak, clenching around his fingers, screaming his name.

Loki didn’t stop until he felt the last of her tiny tremors, and when he released his grip on her hips, he looked up to see her skin flushed pink all over.

“I need you, now, Loki… _please_.”

Loki grinned.  
“As much as I love hearing you beg, darling. I am nowhere near finished with you yet.”

 

Raidne was almost completely limp before Loki was finished, but she was not complaining at all. He kissed, licked, nipped, and sucked every inch of her body before finally releasing her from her bonds and making love to her. He gently turned her onto her belly, holding her hands above her head, lacing his fingers with her own, and pinned her to the bed with his body. She was certain she would have a few bite marks on her shoulders and neck, but she would wear those with pride.

As they lay curled up together afterward, Loki stroked her back, pressing kisses to her hair.

“Raidne, I love you so very much. I hope you know that. I thought…I thought my life was going to be nothing but pure misery once I was sentenced, but you have changed all of that.”

Raidne was so overcome with emotion, she could hardly speak. A single tear leaked down her cheek, and she brushed it away as quickly as she could.  
“I love you too, Loki…my Loki. I’m glad I can make things a little better for you. I want that…for you.”

Her voice quivered, and Loki pulled her closer to him, knowing exactly how she felt.

 

“So, what exactly did you do when you were with Tony earlier?”

“Oh, Ehehehe…. I tricked him into showing me the device he uses to keep me confined to the building…and I disabled it.”

“You… _what_?”

“So, now if you decide to leave, I can too. Of course, we’ll be fugitives, but that has never stopped me before,” he winked.


End file.
